Jose Luis Ramirezborn 1987

Jose Luis Ramirez García, known as “Negro”, was a Mexican featherweight who also boxed around the neighbouring divisions during a professional career lasting from 2006 until the late 2010s. Born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, on 6 March 1987, he later made his home in Oxnard, California. An orthodox boxer standing 5ft 7in, he finished with 28 victories, nine defeats and no draws, with 16 wins inside the distance.

He made his professional debut on 20 January 2006 and spent the early part of his career working through the Mexican circuit. Ramírez was kept active and developed in the traditional fashion, meeting opponents of varying experience while building his record away from the international spotlight. He was not promoted as a future attraction, but his progress was substantial enough for him to reach 25 victories from 28 contests and obtain a high regional ranking at featherweight.

The defining opportunity arrived against Vasyl Lomachenko at the Thomas & Mack Center in Nevada on 12 October 2013. The contest, staged on the Timothy Bradley versus Juan Manuel Márquez bill, was scheduled for ten rounds and carried the WBO International featherweight title. It was presented as Lomachenko’s professional debut, although the Ukrainian had won Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012, collected two world amateur championships and competed over five rounds in the World Series of Boxing.

Ramirez entered with a record of 25 wins and three defeats and represented a remarkably ambitious first opponent. He had considerably more professional experience than Lomachenko, but the difference in technical class quickly became apparent. Lomachenko’s footwork, angles and speed prevented Ramírez from establishing his forward pressure. A straight left to the body dropped the Mexican during the opening round. Ramirez recovered and continued to pursue, but he was made to reset repeatedly as Lomachenko stepped around him and struck before moving out of range.

The same pattern continued through the second and third rounds. Ramirez remained willing and attempted to close the distance, yet he could neither pin Lomachenko down nor produce sustained work of his own. In the closing seconds of the fourth round, another left hand to the body put him down for the second time. He was counted out at 2 minutes 59 seconds. It was the first stoppage defeat of Ramirez’s career and provided Lomachenko with an immediate passage towards his world title challenge against Orlando Salido.

Ramirez returned after the Lomachenko defeat and added three further victories, but he did not regain the position he had held before that night in Nevada. His final record shows four successive defeats at the end of his career, leaving him at 28 wins and nine losses.

Technically, Ramirez was a conventional orthodox featherweight who relied more on persistence and physical pressure than unusual speed or elaborate movement. Sixteen stoppage victories indicate decent punch power, although his record at the higher level showed the limitations of his defence and footwork. His career should not be judged solely by the Lomachenko defeat. He was an experienced and properly qualified professional selected to examine an exceptional newcomer, but on that occasion he encountered a boxer already equipped for world level competition.